SINGAPORE: A man took to social media to ask Singaporeans about how, during job interviews, they would address a career break due to burnout.
“How did you position your career break during the interviews? Were you upfront about the burnout? Do you think burnout as a reason penalizes your candidacy?” the man wrote on r/askSingapore on Saturday (Jan 24).
The man stated that he was interested in hearing from people who had taken a career break and successfully found a new job afterward. He was also interested in the perspectives of recruiters and hiring managers.
“Just say you took a break to reset and realign your career goals”
Most Redditors advised the man that if a recruiter ever asked him about his break, he could simply mention what he did at the time.
They cautioned him against bringing up his burnout since some employers would misinterpret it as a sign that he does not work well under stress and thus cannot possibly handle the role.
“Avoid using that word in case you aren’t offered the chance to explain the circumstances around your situation and subsequent decision,” one Redditor said.
If, on the other hand, he did nothing noteworthy, some said he could try saying that he had taken a sabbatical to pursue his hobbies or interests, wanted to change industries, or was honing his skills for his next job.
“Just say you took a break to reset and realign your career goals; there’s no need to be untruthful with what you did during that period,” another suggested.
The Redditors added that, in the end, the most important thing is to convince the recruiters that he can do the job and won’t quit in the first month or at the first sign of difficulty.
One Redditor who interviewed someone who took a two-year career break also joined the discussion, writing, “We only cared about the total number of years of experience and whether this person passed the coding test and vibed well with all of the interviewers. She now works across from me.
There are companies out there that might view this as a bad thing. If you got into those companies, you will have a bad time. There are many out there that do not care whether you took time off or not.”
Rather than keeping it to themselves and suffering in silence, many Singaporeans have taken to social media to express their feelings of burnout.
This topic has been raised several times on online forums, and fortunately, many people have responded and offered them words of comfort and advice in the comments sections.
For example, at the start of the year, a man posted on social media that he was planning to resign because he had been exhausted for the previous 8 months.
Read more: Man plans to resign in Jan 2024 due to “burnout” but got his bonus payout, asks how to tell boss
Back then, Singaporean Redditors advised the man that before hastily submitting his resignation letter, he could try communicating his problem to his manager and apply for a sabbatical/no-pay leave instead.
In another instance, a workaholic employee suffering from burnout also turned to social media to ask how to maintain a work-life balance.
Read more: Workaholic employee suffering burnout asks, “How do you maintain work-life balance?”
Career Breaks due to burnout
According to research, career burnout occurs between the ages of 34 and 54 and usually affects more women than men. It is a psychological stress disorder that manifests as fatigue, indifference, and a detached feeling.
Asking yourself, “How much longer can I do this?” and feeling a loss of direction and identity are telltale signs that you are experiencing burnout.
In these cases, experts suggest putting some distance between yourself and the overwhelming demands of your work.
Anna Brech from Flash Pack also suggests taking a “travel break” or “work sabbatical.”
While it may seem like the opposite of what you want to do for your career, the only real solution is to carve out healthy chunks of time to regain the energy, motivation, and direction you lost.